The problem with the new Empowered Wave is that at 1000% for 75 spirit - it's just too weak. The only Wave right now useable is Pillar of Ancients. If they pushed Empowered wave to 1500% flat, then I can see it working in some ways.

The DPS is way too low for any higher greater rifts.

Currently, I think a FoE + SSS + Madstone + (Option) + Epiph + Pull + Strong Spirit + (Optional) is the highest sustained DPS you can get. With the higher proc of SSS and the Smite Gem, you'll be proccing SWK, Smite, Applying EP, and doing AoE Fulimating Onslaught with a short 6-8 second cool down of SSS.

Wave of LIght is just too weak at 1000%. Needs to be 2000% really to for how much spirit it costs. It really should say - Costs 30% of your spirit pool, because it does! It used to say (live 2.06) - Costs 50% of your spirit pool and does almost no damage.

Do you see the connection here? Sweeping Wind cost reduced to 5 Spirit and every Spirit spender increasing damage (and armor) by 1%, stacking a potentially infinite amount of times? Sign me up.
What makes this better than similar combinations for other classes is that Sweeping Wind can be cast without an animation. So you can just constantly cast it during your regular attacks, without having to alter your skill rotation beyond pushing another button.

I went ahead and did some testing on the PTR. The Gem only procs when you actually spend Spirit for Sweeping Wind and since the % cost reduction from items is applied before the flat reduction from Inna's, you may only have a maximum of 6.60% Resource Cost Reduction for this to work. If you only have those ~6% however, you can spam Sweeping Wind for only 1 Spirit per cast, allowing you to effortlessly keep the stack capped all the time, in and out of combat.
Since Taeguk seems to be one of the uncapped Gems, this could become utterly insane if upgraded enough, especially with the armor bonus on top.

What are your opinions? Should this be nerfed to no longer function with Sweeping Wind? I know Monks need some love, but is this really the solution?

I have no idea what this post is about... in live servers you can already continuously spam sweeping wind for 0 spirit cost with Inna's set.

I'd say most wizards are going fire is because it offers an amazing signature spell outside of archon. And I tend to repeat myself by stating everywhere that MM - conflag is OP atm.. Making fire-spenders hardly worth the spell-slot.

@coxl, How do you manage to not run out of arcane power with only 4 APOC and no cost reduction?

MM Conflag is hardly OP. It's more like the only adequate free DPS dealer, and ONLY because of Mirrorball. 600% ish weapon damage that pierces is still very low rent - compare that with Crusader's 1700% Heaven's Fury that does the same thing.

To use hexing pants you would have to give up EOTS/Andys, probably not worth it.

25% damage is probably better than 30% lightning, you also get crit + CDR on the 1K Helm so in some ways, it's better than Storm or Andys.

I actually think you can run a standard lightning build with 5 piece Raiment and a helm (Kekegis, Gyana, Andarial's, Eye, or Mind's Eye depending on build) and simply utilize the 3000% as extreme burst damage - 9000% burst with 18 second cool down if you will.

This way you still can take out every mob and can clean up any mob the 9000% burst didm't - cyclone strike seems like a no-brainer to do a Strongarm buff and Inner Sanct buff.

The difference is that the monkey king proc is great for AOE but not good as damage against elites immune to cyclone. Spirited Salvo is good, but you shouldn't really need it playing solo when your SSS hits 50M-75M per strike to elites that in your inner sanctuary/strongarmed. Also, you really need Fist of Fury's decent single target damage to wear down elites because this build doesn't get any procs from Odyn or Shard.

Also, Desert Shroud and Inner Sanctuary are a must on T6... until they do something about Dex anyway.

T5 is on farm at this point, and I have very average stuff (only 45% CDR, 54% holy). A Holy SoJ would boost elite killing a lot faster.

Hi, it seems you've changed your gear/spec since posting this, you seem to be running lightning atm. But my experience is that if your SSS hits for 50-75m per strike, then your Decoys should be hitting for just under double that. I didn't go for FoF since the main damage of the build comes from the decoys. I felt getting the spirit to spawn them was more important than the slightly better damage that FoF does.

Yes, sorry I left off yesterday trying out the Raiment set, which actually looks to be very bursty and very powerful but more gear dependent.

The difference is that the monkey king proc is great for AOE but not good as damage against elites immune to cyclone. Spirited Salvo is good, but you shouldn't really need it playing solo when your SSS hits 50M-75M per strike to elites that in your inner sanctuary/strongarmed. Also, you really need Fist of Fury's decent single target damage to wear down elites because this build doesn't get any procs from Odyn or Shard.

Also, Desert Shroud and Inner Sanctuary are a must on T6... until they do something about Dex anyway.

T5 is on farm at this point, and I have very average stuff (only 45% CDR, 54% holy). A Holy SoJ would boost elite killing a lot faster.

To me, if there is no winning in a game like D3, and if you are NOT playing for eventual PvP, you are insane to play the game at all.

You play a game waiting for an aspect of it that the developers themselves have said they have no interested in implementing, Sure it was promised on the box art for vanilla, but its what 2 years later and you're still waiting?! you need a mirror if you want to find the insane one here.

Actually, I only restarted playing since RoS. And yes, the Devs have stated again and again they are working on PvP - Brawling was introduced and more involved PvP is arriving at some point.

Playing this game with PvE as end game is the most inane thing I can ever think of. Farm gear to farm gear faster? Well great, that takes no skill all RNG. I'll go watch some new TV shows, read a book, go the gym, or go out or something. Hell, I'd rather get a side job and make some more money, at least I can work towards something nice like a house or vacation.

All truly great games have competition - which necessitates human involvement and skill. There will never be real competition with a PvE only end game in D3, all that requires is a time sink and RNG godly luck.

What's carrying D3 now is the gameplay - gameplay is actually really amazing. Controls and skills are smooth and elegant. But the gameplay itself can't sustain the game without real tangible purpose to the game.